Ask Keeping Promises

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin liked Kashyyyk because it was well suited for a man of his height. He had been out of the public eye for some time, even away from the Jedi temples to search for clues on remnants of ‘Razelings’ as they were called. He would deploy back to Coruscant in a few days, but in the meantime he decided to take on a job on Kashyyyk. As a staunch ally of Jedi, the planet was always high priority to assist.

There was turmoil since the disappearance of the planet’s very active Senator and there was a power grab that threatened to lose the Jedi their oldest allies. Sevrin decided to look into the matter personally, answering the call for a potential candidate that would ascend to the Senator role. He wanted to address the problem of Trandoshans attacking and enslaving the Wookiees on the planet, a criminal activity that spiked since the political atmosphere changed.

The Sephi stayed away from media despite their various attempts at interviewing him. The worst was when his face was leaked and there was an onslaught of merchandise with his likeness. The Sephi withdrew from becoming a public face, but he evidently maintained that mysterious Jedi Master rumor among the Jedi.

While Sevrin normally preferred to work alone, he opted to have a padawan assigned at random to him. Teaching was one of his passions and he would take up an opportunity no matter how infrequently they arrived.

The Sephi was awaiting the padawan’s arrival at a spaceport near a large elevator that would take them down to the levels below. The Jedi Master stood calm, his bearing one of cool, regal and aloof. He was a Sephi in every sense of the word, the son of the King of Thustra himself, though it was a detail only the Council knew at this point. He was adorned in combat ready robes, his hair tied in a long ponytail with multiple saberhilts at his hips. The most defining feature on him other than the pointed ears were his striking, silver eyes. They were unique and unnatural, a trademark of his royal lineage that carried onto his half-brother the ISC President Emryc Thorne, though neither knew of each other’s existence.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Shaw had never been to Kashyyyk before. Really that could be said for most places. If it wasn't Coruscant and it wasn't a planet he had visited in the last few months with the Jedi, he hadn't been there. The padawan stared out of the viewport as they flew overhead, catching glimpses here and there of the mid rim planet between patches of fog. Swamps, mountains, and what looked like the largest trees Shaw had ever seen in his life. This was definitely not Coruscant.

"You should feel honored," one of the padawans said. A twi'lek girl a few years older than Shaw. He looked over his shoulder at her. "It's truly a privilege." She twirled a lekku around her finger, whispering under her breath with a wistful, faraway look in her eyes, "Wish we could trade places..."

"Yeah," the only other padawan on board piped up. Alec was his name. A titian haired padawan that Shaw had run into once before. "But it's not like he chose him, is it?" He glanced at Shaw with something like contempt in his eyes. Jealousy even, if Shaw hadn't know better. "The council just chose him at random. It's nothing special to get chosen at random."

Chose him for what? An honor. A privilege. Everyone had been saying that ever since he had boarded the shuttle, but no one had told him why it was an honor and a privilege.

"We've landed. Ready, Shaw?" the knight that had been piloting the ship interrupted. Shaw was to be dropped off on Kashyyyk. The other three had an assignment elsewhere. At the back of the shuttle, while Shaw was gathering his things, the knight would say, "Now make sure to keep your wits about you. Best foot forward and all that. This is a very serious assignment. Serious responsibility." He didn't give Shaw a chance to ask any questions, patting the padawan on the back and pushing him toward the boarding ramp. "May the force be with you!"

There was a lone figure waiting for Shaw at the spaceport. It wasn't until Shaw got a good look at the man that the pieces clicked. He was pretty new to the order and didn't know a lot about—well, anything Jedi related really—but he did recognize the silver gaze at the other end of the landing pad. He'd seen it staring back at him from dorm room posters and on a t-shirt Regina liked to wear that said my spirit animal is Sevrin Valtiere. Dude was a legend amongst the padawns. Shaw might not have totally understood why (outside of Regina thinking he was hot) but he did know that legends weren't made overnight. @Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

The tall Sephi calmly surveyed the teen when he stepped off the shuttle. Sevrin was poised like a sentry, his piercing silver gaze studying the young man as if looking right through him. The Sephi gave a curt nod when Shaw approached.

“Padawan Amaris,” He said with an even tone, “I am Jedi Master Valtiere,” The Sephi introduced himself. If he was aware of his own fame, it certainly didn’t show in his mannerisms. He gestured for Shaw to step onto the crude wooden elevator. Once the boy did, the Sephi would tug on some ropes that activated a pulley system to slowly lower them to the depths below.

“I will not be treating you like a child but as a soldier on the field,” Sevrin said with his gaze fixed ahead as they began to descend, “By the virtue of possessing the Force, you are at all times armed and never a helpless civilian. It is up to you to wield that weapon or not,” Sevrin said, “We come here today because Trandoshans have been attacking the Wookiees. Many of them are held as hostages in the shadowlands where a base camp is allegedly located. You are to assist me in finding this camp and deal with any Trandoshans.”

They finally landed in the lower level of the forest, thick and tall wroshyr trees surrounding them on all fronts. The Sephi looked around, the lush canopy almost blocking out the sunlight.

“Tell me, padawan, how do we begin this task?” Sevrin asked as he glanced back at Shaw, “There is no wrong answer. Only possibilities to rule out.”

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

One word came to mind when Shaw looked at Jedi Master Valtiere, and that was intense. Everything about him was intense. The piercing silver gaze that made Shaw feel like he could see directly into his soul. The brusque, one sided introductions that passed between them. Shaw only managed to get out an awkward wave before the sephi had moved on to business. The firm, not open to debate remark about treating Shaw like a soldier rather than a child.

Shaw looked down at himself. At his hands. He certainly didn't feel like a soldier, but he didn't want to be treated like a child either. He was in some weird in between place, but the teenager got the very distinct impression that Master Valtiere didn't deal with in between places.

The lower they descended, the darker it got. The Shadowlands were to be Shaw's first experience on Kashyyyk. No place for the feint of heart or the untrained hand. Shaw wasn't really feint of heart when the chips were down, but he was an untrained hand. Luckily Master Valtiere was neither if the stories that circulated amongst the padawans were to believed.

Stepping off the elevator into something mushy that squelched with every step, Shaw expected the master to tell him what their next move would be. Instead he looked at Shaw and asked him what he thought they should do first. Shaw just blinked. "Is this a test?" he couldn't stop himself from asking. A stupid question really. Of course it was a test. The teenager took a step back, cleared his throat, and considered the question.

No wrong answers. No wrong answers. No wrong answers. It was hard to believe that when the older Jedi's silver gaze was boring a hole through him. "Do we know where the Wookiees are being attacked?" he eventually asked. It would give them a starting point. "Maybe we could find some tracks or something that would point us in the direction of their base camp." From there, the Trandoshans would need to be holed up somewhere that would be easy to defend, right? Since this place was so dangerous? Maybe somewhere close to a water source too. Shaw stood there and waited to see if he had failed the test or not. @Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

The Sephi stared at Shaw in silence when he asked if it was a test, “When you are a Jedi, everything is a test,” He said simply, amusement briefly glinting in his eye. Contrary to what Shaw may have believed, the Sephi was especially versed in dealing with padawans and younglings to train. It was critical to avoid the coddling that many Knights did which only led to generations of Jedi that didn’t believe in their own skills. Most of them fell into a path because it was the dictated one to take.

One such a Jedi stood before him.

Sevrin ignored the suggested course of action for a moment, though it was sound. He fixed his gaze on the Padawan, “You do not believe yourself to be a Jedi yet,” He asked, pausing their walk as he studied the young man.

“Why are you with the Order, padawan?” Sevrin asked calmly. There was no judgment on his face. As a Sephi, his face was almost always devoid of emotion. It was impossible to tell what the Jedi Master was thinking.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Master Valtiere didn't leave Shaw waiting in suspended silence for long, wondering if he had passed or miserably failed the test. No, Shaw still didn't know if he had passed or failed, but he wasn't kept waiting in silence. Not until it was a silence of his own making anyway. Matching the older Jedi's steps, the teenager came to a stop too. Ankle deep in something squishy that he was probably very lucky not to be able to see with all the fog and what little light there was down here.

"What do you mean?" Shaw asked, but it was really just words. To prolong the inevitable. Shaw already knew what he meant, and he realized that he would have to answer the question eventually. It wasn't really something he shared with the Jedi, not anymore anyway. Not since he had started to make friends that he really cared for very much and had seen firsthand what the force was capable of. Not really through him but others. Other Jedi, other Sith even. Tasted what it just might be able to do through him one day.

It was a taste he couldn't get out of his head, even if he had been raised to hate the force, and he didn't want to risk getting kicked out of the order by admitting that his family had not sent him here with noble intentions. That he hadn't come here with noble intentions. It had been somewhere to go. Somewhere free. Somewhere safe.

"My family had to flee Coruscant when those razelings showed up," he eventually admitted, not really sure where to look. "Sent me to the Jedi for safekeeping so they could get back on their feet." After leaving everything behind, it would be hard enough to feed his little sister let alone him. Right or probably wrong, Shaw decided not to mention the fact that his parents had never planned on him staying with the Jedi for good. That as soon as they had enough credits and somewhere to live they would send for him. @Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin turned to gaze at Shaw when he asked his first question, fixing him with a blank stare that plainly told him he wouldn’t dignify the question with a response. The boy picked up the hint quickly and moved on to answer. As the Sephi suspected, his induction to the Order was a direction set by people that had no idea about Jedi. However, before Shaw could finish speaking, Sevrin used the Force to hurl a rock right at Shaw. The Padawan would involuntarily dodge the incoming missile. Sevrin sent another shooting at him from the side. This one would also miss Shaw - again, because of a strange tingling in the back of his neck and his body moving of its own accord. Something that would have been a constant his whole life.

“You ever stop to think regular civilians can’t do that?” Sevrin asked bluntly, “Do you think your story or what happened to your home matters when the Force is as a part of you as your arms and legs? When it has always been a part of you?” He asked as he looked at Shaw, “There is being a Force user and there is becoming a Jedi. You are a Force user.”

Sevrin paused there before he spoke, “You will choose to be a Jedi or you will go join Agricorps. You will remain safe with Agricorps as your parents wish, but you will never become Jedi,” He twirled a pebble in the air with the Force, “But if you wish to become a Jedi -if you choose to play the hand you were dealt -it must be your choice and yours alone. Understood?” With that he launched the final pebble at Shaw.



@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

One moment the two of them were just talking, and the next a stone was catapulting itself directly toward Shaw. Propelled by an invisible force that stretched from the Jedi Master's hand without him ever having to move it. Shaw didn't really have time to react. That is not before his body reacted of its own accord, dodging the stone as it flew past his chest. Then he dodged the next stone Master Valtiere sent hurling his way—again, without ever thinking about it. Without ever telling his body to move. It just moved. On its own.

Shaw's brown gaze followed the wayward stones, watching them drop into a puddle with a plop. Then he looked back at the Jedi Master. What had just happened? Had Valtiere made him do that or what? His hand shot to the back of his neck. Beneath the skin there was a tingling sensation that no amount of scratching or rubbing dissuaded. It was something he had felt before. Perhaps most notably back on that jungle planet with Lil Nash when those mutated squirrels or whatever they were were crawling all over him and his life had flashed before his eyes.

The Jedi Master's even, unvarying broke the padawan's line of thought. Whatever was going on inside of Shaw's head—inside of his body—the Jedi across from him looked as cool as a cucumber as he presented Shaw with a choice. Join Agricorps or become a Jedi. A real Jedi. Not just in name only like he was now. Sheesh. He had really seen through Shaw right away, hadn't he?

Shaw looked away and licked his lips, mind racing. He hadn't expected this. Not now certainly. He needed more time to think, needed more time to decide, more time to weigh the consequences, more time to... or did he? He thought about all the adventures he had had since being sent to the order. His mom's parting words echoed in his mind. As fresh as when she had first spoken them several months ago. Keep your head down. Don't get involved. Let the Jedi sort out their own problems and don't buy into all that religious nonsense. Nothing but indoctrination. We'll send for you as soon as we can. You know who you are. But what if who he was wasn't who he was meant to be?

What about all the times he had felt that pull to give in to the force and embrace it rather than trying to suppress it and act like it wasn't a part of who he was? His parents had always said that that didn't define him, but what if it wasn't as simple as that? He thought about the first time he had meditated at the preserved ruins. Of the first time he had used the force. I mean really used it on that jungle world. Of the first time he had held a training lightsaber in his hands and the exhilaration that followed. He thought about all of the incredible people he had met. Macote. Caul. Prani. Elidan. Roanoke. Heidi. Lil Nash. Krel. The list went on and on. People that challenged him to do better, to be better. To answer the call to live for something greater than himself.

The last few months felt like they had been building up to something. Was this the culmination of it all? Shaw looked up just in time to see the final pebble Master Valtiere sent his way. Just in time to reach up and catch it in the palm of his hand. If it hadn't been such a serious moment he might have made a joke about Spidey senses but it was probably for the best. He had a feeling Master Valtiere wouldn't get the reference anyway. His parents were gonna kill him, but he had made his decision.

"I want to become a Jedi." @Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin kept his gaze locked with the Padawan’s as the boy spoke. He could sense the internal turmoil, of course, but none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was what Shaw said next aloud, what he committed to reality, what he validated. Just uttering those words would incite a change in him whether he realized it at the time or not. It was the first step towards owning the choices that would guide him towards becoming a Jedi.

“And so you shall,” He said curtly before turning to walk again. Shaw would notice that plants, vines and errant roots unfurled and gently parted on their own to clear a path as the Sephi walked. It was an effortless display of the Force and one where the Sephi didn’t use any gestures to command or wield the power.

“The sooner you stop thinking of the Force as an external entity the sooner you will wield it,” Sevrin explained as they walked, “It has little to do with meditating or focusing on specific tasks like lifting rocks or objects,” Sevrin said, likely dashing everything Shaw ever knew from sitting in the classrooms, “Embracing the Force is about accepting its existence within you and in all living things around you. You cannot hear if you do not listen, you cannot touch if you do not reach,” Sevrin said, “Every plant, every creature of the forest, all of it pulses with the Force the same way you do. And they all speak a language you can understand. Valuing such a presence in all living things and respecting it is what it means to be Jedi. Knowing such a presence exists and seeking ways to exploit it is what it means to be Sith."

They walked deeper into the shadowlands where it was difficult to see, “Consider what we search for in these woods. Consider what the trees have seen, what these roots have witnessed, what they may have to say,” Sevrin turned to look at Shaw again, “Listen. Listen for the sentiments of the Wookiees that may have been in great distress. These woods echo with the evidence,” He said, “Listen.”

The Sephi would give Shaw all the time he needed, “Which way is our path, Padawan?”

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

There. He had said it. Admitted it not only to himself but admitted it out loud. To someone else. And not just any someone else but a Jedi Master. It felt.. good. Like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. A pressure he hadn't realized had been weighing him down this whole time.

I want to become a Jedi. I want to become a Jedi. He allowed the words to wash over him. Cleanse him. There was no going back now. No turning back to his old life. He thought perhaps a moment of panic might follow the decision, that he might second guess himself, but he didn't. The panic never came. He felt more at peace than he had in months. More resolved than—well probably ever.

"Can I keep this?" he asked Master Valtiere. He looked down at the pebble in the palm of his hand before shoving it into a pocket for safekeeping and falling into step behind the other Jedi. Dude took long strides, so Shaw had to try and keep up. Luckily the teenager wasn't done growing, but he doubted he would ever catch up with the sephi. It was the way nature itself parted around the master that really caught Shaw's attention though.

Shaw was so caught up watching the vines and roots as they slid into the darkness to clear a path for Master Valtiere that he almost bumped into the sephi when he came to a sudden stop. "Which way?" Shaw repeated, looking around. Another test so soon? Valtiere was right about Shaw thinking of the force as an external entity rather than something within him or something that was a part of him. He had pretty much all of the wrong misconceptions about the force and how it worked. It would take some getting used to.

"If the trees start chatting me up like Treebeard—" the teenager started to make a joke but the words died in his throat when he saw a pair of silver eyes staring at him. He cleared his throat. Right. Now wasn't the time. And Master Valtiere was definitely not the right audience. Shaw took a few steps forward, toward the center of the clearing they found themselves in. Embrace the force. Accept its existence. Reach. Listen.

He had no idea what he was doing, so he just kept repeating the Jedi master's words over and over in his head. Reach. Listen. Reach. Listen. Closing his eyes, Shaw took a deep breath and listened. Not for the sound of the wind or for distant animal calls but for the echo of things unseen. Events. Emotions. Sentiments as Valtiere called them. It took a while, but that's when Shaw heard it. At least he thought he heard it. Or maybe he felt it?

The howl of a wookiee in distress. In pain. His anxiety and fear. Spilled blood as a vibroblade was mercilessly driven through his stomach. Shaw blinked, walking to his right until he reached a pool of dried blood that stained the soil. "I think they went this way." @Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

“Then that is the path we walk,” Sevrin responded as Shaw tentatively suggested a route. The Sephi didn’t validate whether it was correct or not. The Padawan needed to learn to trust his own instincts and he would learn quickly enough that Sevrin wouldn’t spoon feed him. This was a real mission with real consequences and lives at stake. Age or being a teenager was never an excuse when the likes of Ahsoka Tano had to be in the thick of battle and high stake missions when she was only fourteen.

Their path took them to a Wookiee’s corpse, likely the same one that had been stabbed earlier. Sevrin knelt to the corpse, studying it for a moment before gently closing the eyes. He muttered something in a language that would be foreign to Shaw, “Walk with the Force,” He whispered gently in Basic before he rose again to continue walking.

Sevrin’s sensitive hearing picked up chatter up ahead and he lightly motioned for Shaw to stay still. He listened for a moment, “Three of them,” Sevrin said calmly, “Several prisoners are locked in a cage. This is not the main base,” He said, “Come, Padawan, and move quietly.”

The Sephi led the way this time, crouching behind some plants and motioning for Shaw to do the same. There was a clearing ahead and three burly Trandoshans with armor and weapons standing next to a massive cage that had a female Wookiee and four children in it. From the resemblance it was obvious that the father fought aggressively and was left dead on the path here.

“I will contend with the slavers,” Sevrin said quietly, “You are to find a way to release the prisoners. Remember, the Force is your ally and a part of you. It is already within you and is not something have to pull from the outside. Let it guide you and trust in it. Trust in yourself."

He gazed at Shaw for a moment to engage on any questions if the Padawan had any. Once that was resolved, he stepped out into the open, calmly gazing at the Trandoshans.

“Release the prisoners,” Sevrin said curtly.

The Trandoshans started laughing among themselves. Hardened combatants, they didn’t think twice. One of them leveled a blaster and fired a bolt. There was a brilliant arc of blue as Sevrin’s saber deflected the bolt, sending it right back to its origin. The Trandoshan yelped as the bolt hit his leg, making him drop into a crouch.

“You little shit!” Another Trandoshan yelped as he rushed at Sevrin with a vibrosword. The third began to reach for his radio but Sevrin used the Force to yank it from his grip and hurl it towards the wookiee cage where he counted on Shaw to pick it up. Having a radio connected to the base was going to be critical and it prevented this group from calling backup.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

It wasn't long until the Jedi came upon a clearing with three armored trandoshans guarding a cage with five wookiees trapped inside.

Under different circumstances Shaw might have had a private little victory grin or solo fist pump because had hadn't utterly screwed up the second test, but after coming across the body of that dead wookiee he didn't feel much like celebrating. The lifeless corpse had left a sour taste in his mouth, especially when Master Valtiere had closed his eyelids for the last time out of respect. Thinking about what the trandoshans had in store for their new 'slaves' made Shaw sick to his stomach. Those four children would never see their father again. There was nothing to celebrate here.

"Right," Shaw whispered back, voice involuntarily breaking a little from disuse and from the thoughts that occupied his mind. Shaw had his orders: release the prisoners and trust in the force. Let it guide him. He still wasn't sure he knew what that meant, to let it guide him, but he would try to recreate whatever magic had happened back there in that last clearing. He had to. Lives were depending on him. A mother and four children to be precise.

At least Master Valtiere had given Shaw the easiest of the two tasks. While Shaw freed the prisoners, he would contend with the three armored trandoshans. The fact that the numbers were stacked against him didn't seem to bother him as he stepped out into the clearing like the main character of an anime. Ready to challenge, ready to fight, and ready to kick butt.

That was the distraction Shaw needed, sticking to the shrubs for cover as he circled around the edge of the clearing, creeping up to the cage. "Shhh," he urged the wookiee family to not make a sound as a fight broke out behind him. Blaster fire. A yelp. Sounded like Master Valtiere had the situation under control. Shaw could see the fear in the eyes of the children, noticed the way their lower lips quivered as they watched their kidnappers.

Luckily Shaw had kept that last hair pin Prani had loaned him, and he got to work trying to pick the lock. He really needed to get a proper lockpick set if this kind of scenario was gonna keep coming up. At least it was an old fashioned cast iron lock. Nothing that needed to be sliced, but it was still going to take a little more effort than the jet ski or Chaz's trunk had. Shaw's training lightsaber couldn't cut through metal.

Something hit the ground a few feet away from Shaw, and he jerked around to see a radio lying there. Then he looked up, to the third trandoshan that was staring at him. Then to the radio and back again. Shaw made a grab for the radio just as the trandoshan charged him with a growl. The teenager's survival instincts told him to brace for the inevitable blow and reach for his training lightsaber to defend himself. Valtiere's orders—and something else in the back of his mind—told him to open the cage. That Master Valtiere would deal with the slavers. All of them. Not just the two that he was currently fighting but the third one as well.

Shaw only had a split second to decide what to do. He decided to trust Master Valtiere and by extension the force and do as he was told. The last pin set, and the lock snapped open. @Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Shaw would see the Trandoshan charging at him with a vibrosword raised. However, even through all that he would feel at ease. Because he opened himself to that faith and trust. Leaning into the Force. At the very last second, the trandoshan abruptly dropped to the ground, yanked backwards towards the Sephi that already had another trandoshan down. The man moved as a blur, wrenching the blade out of one of their hands to send it flying.

What may have been surprising to Shaw, however, was that Sevrin had no qualms with driving his saber through the slavers to finish the job. He was not a pacifistic Jedi and he knew there were irredeemable beings in the galaxy that would be forever repeat offenders. He was a whirlwind of motions as he spun with two sabers and deflected bolts tactfully back to their origin. Nothing ever spilled out of the imaginary perimeter of combat he set around himself.

The trandoshan that was chasing Shaw was dragged into that perimeter and within moments his life was forfeit. There was only one slaver remaining and Sevrin pointed a saber at their neck.

“The base,” He said calmly.

The Trandoshan growled and launched himself at Sevrin. The Sephi simply angled his pointed saber a few degrees to the right for the man to impale himself on it. The Jedi Master switched off the sabers, fastening the hilts back on his hips as he walked back towards the cage.

It didn’t matter how Shaw felt about the dead bodies. This was the reality of being a Jedi. This was a glimpse into war. This was a glimpse into the darkness that existed all around and what it took for Light to meet it. Sevrin gave the padawan a curt nod, “Good work,” He said simply, turning his gaze towards the Wookiees.

The children all ran to Shaw, hugging him tightly and climbing all over him. The mother gave a kind nod towards Sevrin. The Sephi silently held up a necklace he had taken from the corpse they found earlier. The female sighed, nodding in thanks as she took the last remnant of her husband. The children almost refused to move away from Shaw until the only girl took off her tiny necklace and handed it to Shaw. The tender appreciation in their eyes was unmistakable despite the language barrier.

The mother drew up the children and quickly made her way back towards her home. No one knew the Shadowlands better than the wookiees so Sevrin knew they would be safe.

This left them with the radio and Sevrin listened to the discussions about their camp up north that was preparing to have a ship take the captured Wookiees off world. Sevrin exhaled at that, though his face remained impassive.

“We must hurry, padawan,” He said curtly, “Take a vibrosword,” Sevrin said, jutting his chin towards one of the Trandoshans, “You are useless with a training saber.”

Despite the sense of urgency, Sevrin once again put Shaw on the spot, leaving it to him to follow the clues from the radio chatter and his sense with the Force to guide them to the camp.

There would be no spoonfeeding.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

The cage door swung open. Shaw drew in a sharp breath and waited for the inevitable blow that would drive him face first into the bars of the cage. It never came. The fight was over in a matter of seconds, and the three trandoshans lie dead at the feet of Master Valtiere. Even three to one they hadn't stood a chance. Master Valtiere passed by in a blur of motion. His blue lightsaber was more like an extension of his arm, so fluid and controlled were its movements, than it was a weapon. Shaw had never seen anything like it. It felt more like a scene out of an holodrama action movie than it did real life.

Brown eyes raked over the scene, staring into three sets of lifeless, reptilian eyes that no longer blinked. There was no time to process what had happened. There were four sets of little arms covered in hair grasping at his clothing and wrapping around his waist. Shaw thought they might squeeze the life out of him for a second there. How could they be so freakishly strong when they weren't even fully grown yet? Maybe there was some truth to all those jokes about wookiees ripping your arms off limb by limb. Good thing these little guys happened to like him.

"Th...thank you," Shaw said, mouth suddenly very dry. He stared down at the small necklace in the palm of his hand. All he had done was open the door. There was a comfortable warmth that settled in the teenager's face. It was a wonderful feeling. A ray of light in a dark location and an even darker situation. Shaw wondered if he she knew just how much the gesture meant to him. As the mother led her children out of the clearing and into the fog, Shaw slipped the necklace into a pocket for safe keeping. Right next to his pebble.

Alone again, the Jedi listened to the radio chatter. Slipped and fell this morning...bzzt...sick and tired of this damp air...bzzt...can't wait to get off this backwater....bzzt...sick of fleabags...no using radio...chit chat...bzzt...morons...

The teenager retrieved one of the trandoshan's blades as instructed, grimacing when he saw that it was covered in blood. Had this been the blade that had murdered the wookiee further up the trail? Shaw hoped not. He wiped the blood off as best he could on the trandoshan's mud splattered pants. "Full disclosure," he said, "I'm useless with a vibrosword too." When he realized that that might have sounded disrespectful, he added a quick, "Sir." Sir? That was so not like him. Valtiere just had this presence, man. Anyway. "I haven't gotten a lot of blade training in yet." Still really didn't know the forms either.

Now it was up to Shaw again. The stress was starting to get to him. He had never been put on the spot like this. On the other missions there had always been someone else to fall back on. Shaw couldn't fall back on Master Valtiere. He would just push him forward again. Figuratively speaking. Well, probably literally too. The Jedi Master gave him no clues. Tossed him no bones. Just expected him to know how to do all of this. Shaw wasn't sure if he ought to be flattered or annoyed, but it didn't matter. There was no time for either. They needed to get to the slaver's camp before their ship took off.

"I think they're near a waterfall," Shaw said suddenly to his own surprise. "Maybe inside a cave." His feet began to move before he did. "This way." @Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin was unfazed by Shaw’s admission that he was useless with a blade. He calmly looked at the padawan, “You strike them with the pointy end,” He suggested dryly, a glint of what could almost be considered humor in his eyes. There was no time for a crash course on saber techniques and Shaw wouldn’t have that luxury. However, if he kept trusting in himself and leaning into the culmination of all his mission experiences thus far, he had more than enough to navigate most dangerous scenarios that would present themselves.

The Sephi nodded when Shaw blurted out a direction. He could tell the Padawan was still not comfortable with surrendering control to the Force and leaning into it, but over time it would feel more natural.

“What questions do you have of me?” He asked Shaw, “We have a moment to walk,” Sevrin knew the boy had a lot thrown at him at once. While he wasn’t a therapist, Sevrin also wouldn’t put Shaw on autopilot and leave him to implode under the weight of sensory and trauma overload, “Where is your mind?”

Their path would curve and lead towards a massive, fallen tree near a waterfall that discreetly had an entrance behind it. It was very easy to miss if someone didn’t know to look for it. Shaw would realize he arrived here without giving it a second thought, something inherently guiding him this way. He would feel a pulse in the Force, that familiar sensation of distress that was felt by the prisoners. He would feel the same fear he sensed in the mother and children in the cage and the feeling of imminent danger.

“Are you ready to venture forth?” Sevrin asked quietly as he gently parted the waterfall to reveal the cave mouth behind it.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Shaw just blinked. "Was that a joke?" he asked, lips splitting into a grin. Some things were better left thought and not said, but the teenager was still figuring that out. He often said the first thing that came to mind. He just shook his head and smiled to himself. "Pointy end. Got it." He would swing the sword around as they walked, trying to get a feel for it. Occasionally hacking at a rambling plant that stood in their path.

He looked over his shoulder at the Jedi Master when he eventually broke the silence, asking Shaw where his mind was. The equivalent of "whatcha thinking about" he guessed. Did Master Valtiere always speak so formally he wondered? "I don't know," he said at first, really just buying himself some time to answer. He stepped over a branch, boots sinking into a murky puddle. Mud splattered the padawan's pants. They were getting close. He didn't know how he knew. He just knew.

"Guess I'm a little overwhelmed," he eventually answered, unable to keep from glancing back at Master Valtiere to see his reaction. If there even was a reaction. Dude had an excellent pazaak face. Could probably teach his friend Rhyss a thing or two. "Feel kinda out of my depth. I've never taken the lead on a mission like this." Especially not with lives on the line. That went unspoken, but they were both aware of it.

Shaw came to a stop in front of a waterfall. This is it. "I'm ready," he said, gripping the vibrosword tighter. Maybe if he said it enough times he would actually believe it. Emotions washed over Shaw as the waterfall did not, parting around the Jedi at the bidding of Valtiere. It wasn't his own emotions. He was actively trying to suppress those. It was the wookiees. Scared. Frightened. Alone. Some of them hopeless.

There were lights up ahead, flames dancing along the sides of the cavern walls. Shaw took the high ground without really thinking about it, crouching down next to a ledge where they would be able to see what was going on below. A slow moving creek trickled through the bottom of the cave. There were crates and cages, but instead of wild animals inside it was wookiees. Deeper into the cave Shaw could hear the hum of an engine coming to life. There was another entrance somewhere. That's where they would load the wookiees up to transport them off world.

There were trandoshans everywhere. One of them shouted, "You've got your orders! Time to load up the merchandise!"

Merchandise? Shaw looked over at Master Valtiere, as if to ask what now? @Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Naturally, the Sephi remained poker faced and silent when Shaw asked if he made a joke. The Jedi Master did, however, nod when Shaw expressed feeling out of his depth, “That feeling, unfortunately, never truly goes away,” He explained, “I still do,” He admitted, “But I trust in myself to figure it out,” Sevrin said, “And so shall you, Padawan,” Sevrin said, “Regardless of how little you believe that today,” He added, his piercing silver gaze seeing right through him.

“If you focus on staying true to yourself and keep faith in yourself, the expectations and faith of others follow,” Sevrin explained. After all, everyone turned to the Jedi to be the heroes, but the Jedi needed to evaluate and assess a situation and act accordingly without external influences.

“Everything about being a Jedi is choice,” He said as they arrived, “And the confidence to stand by those choices.”

The water parted and they were inside. Unlike Shaw, Sevrin did not take the high ground, finding it more effective to have the Padawan positioned to support. He could hear the engines ahead and see the place teeming with Trandoshans. He had combat on his hands, but it was important to cut off an exit.

Sevrin turned to look at Shaw, meeting his gaze before he turned to look at a large boulder across from the Padawan. The Sephi looked back at Shaw again, his silent command going without words. He needed the Padawan to use the Force to drop that boulder in the tunnel path that led to the transport.

The Sephi revealed himself and the Trandoshans sprang to action. Chaos erupted below from where Shaw was perched. Sevrin was a blur of blue and green sabers once more, spinning and moving like a dervish with graceful precision as he fought the slavers. At one point he sprang down near a cage where two massive, burly wookiee were rattling their cages. With a fluid movement, Sevrin ran his sabers through the locks on their cages, turning to gaze at the Trandoshans as the massive Wookiees charged right past Sevrin to exact their vengeance on their captors. It was an all out rebellion.

If Shaw didn’t drop the boulder in time, some of the Trandoshans would scoop up the smaller cages with the children and bolt towards the tunnel. He could either keep trying to drop the boulder or, if he failed that, he could use an easier application of the Force to make them trip on their way out to slow them down.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

It never went away? That wasn't exactly encouraging to hear, but at least Master Valtiere was being straight with him. Not sugarcoating anything or pretending that the force would make everything better. Erase all doubt. Erase all fear. That would be too good to be true. Knowing that someone like Master Valtiere sometimes felt out of his depth too? Someone who could cut down trandoshans without ever breaking a sweat and bend nature itself to his will on a scale Shaw had never witnessed—well, that was sort of oddly encouraging he had to admit.

Encouraging up until the moment he asked Shaw to move a boulder. A boulder! As in a ten times bigger than he was, you could take out an AT-ST with that thing boulder. "Bruh! You can't be serious!" Shaw couldn't stop himself from whispering in a panic. Luckily between the rushing water, all the trandoshans shouting out orders, and the roar of the ship further down the tunnel no one heard him.

It was disrespectful Shaw realized, but he couldn't stop himself. Did Master Valtiere really expect him to hurl a boulder across the cave when he had never done anything like that before? Was he really placing the fates of these wookiees in his hands? He was really forcing Shaw to face up to trust yourself to figure it out sooner rather than later.

The Jedi Master left no room for debate. No room for discussion. The cave had descended into chaos in a matter of seconds. Blaster bolts struck the walls of the massive cave system. Blue and green plasma lightsabers reflected in the surface of the water. Shaw watched it all unfold in what felt like slow motion. Saw Master Valtiere cutting through the slavers on by one, recruiting some of the wookiees along the way. Saw some of the trandoshans jerking the smaller cages with children toward the tunnel, away from the ever advancing blades of the Jedi.

Shaw's stomach dropped. He didn't have a choice. It was now or never. The Jedi Master hadn't steered him wrong yet... Reaching a trembling, uncertain hand out, he stretched toward the boulder. Not with his physical hand but with his mind. With his feelings and his will, attempting to turn the intangible into a tangible force strong enough to grasp onto the boulder and send it flying. Master Valtiere's words echoed in his mind. "Trust yourself to figure it out."

Both hands outstretched now, the padawan strained. The boulder started to tremble, shaking loose of its perch, but it didn't move. "The force is your ally. Let it guide you and trust in it. Trust in yourself." The boulder began to levitate, Shaw's entire body trembling now as he tried to concentrate. As he tried to exert his will over matter. Exert his mind over matter.

"Hurry up, fleabag!" one of the trandoshans snarled, dragging a child that had escaped toward the tunnel. His hands drug her by the hair around her neck, and she struggled and strained in vain against his hold on her. She cried out. It the last little push Shaw needed.

Everything Master Valtiere had been urging him toward, everything he had slowly been accepting—it all culminated here. Shaw embraced the force. Fully and completely and without any reservations, allowing it to flow through his veins and take control at last.

With a violet jerk, and using his entire body to anchor himself in place, Shaw flung the boulder across the cave. It struck the tunnel, blocking it off with only seconds to spare. The ground beneath it trembled briefly from the impact, and Shaw collapsed to his knees. @Sreeya

dice roll 20/20

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

There was a loud crash as the boulder didn’t just drop - but sailed clear to where it needed to, effectively plugging the entrance to the tunnel. The Trandoshans and captives gasped at the display, looking around confused. The Jedi Master was distracted with fighting, so how did that boulder do that? Fortunately Shaw dropping to his knees put him entirely out of sight.

Sevrin capitalized on the lapse of confusion, hurling his saber right through the chest of a trandoshan in the distance before he commanded the saber back to his hand. The Sephi took enough limbs and killed enough of the slavers to where only three of them were left. They pleaded for their lives, two of the wookiees charging right at them.

“No,” The Sephi stated calmly as the wookiees were abruptly stopped in their tracks. Despite their rage and fury, they backed down, opting instead to go and open the cages of their kin.

Sevrin walked towards the surviving slavers, tying their hands up, “You will be surrendered to the Wookiee tribes to judge you according to their laws,” He said calmly.

“No..No just kill us instead,” One of the survivors pleaded.

The Sephi said nothing, motioning for them to start walking. He finally glanced up towards Shaw, gesturing for him to join them again. Sevrin looked at the Padawan, “What you did with the boulder is beyond the abilities of the average padawan,” He explained, his face bearing the first hint of any kind of expression. And of course it was an ‘I told you so’ look, “You did well today, Padawan,” Sevrin said as they made their way back towards the cities.

It didn’t take them long to arrive, the Trandoshans mewling pathetically as they were dragged away for wookiee justice. Sevrin turned to regard Shaw, “We part ways here,” He said simply with a curt nod, “May the Force be with you, Padawan Amaris.”

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

By the time Shaw made it down to ground level, Master Valtiere and the wookiees he had freed had already taken care of everything. The battle was over just as quickly as it had started. The slavers were dead, and the few that weren't were tied up and thrown into cages. Getting a taste of their own medicine. Wookiees were reunited, hugging one another and speaking amongst themselves in their native tongue. It was incredible how much had changed in just a few short moments.

Out of breath, Shaw fell into step behind Master Valtiere. Sweat lined his forehead, and he couldn't remember the last time he had felt this exhausted—if ever. This drained. But it was a wonderful feeling all the same. A feeling he wouldn't have traded for anything in the galaxy. Especially when the Jedi Master actually gave him a compliment. "Thanks," Shaw replied. He didn't miss the expression that passed over the sephi's stoic face, and it elicited a grin from the padawan.

The grin really didn't leave his face for the rest of the journey. Not until Master Valtiere said that this was where they parted ways. "Wait," Shaw spoke up before he could stop himself or even really knew why. He took a tentative step forward. "Just like that?" Great. Now he sounded like the cliché boyfriend in some romcom that couldn't figure out why his girlfriend was dumping him. "I mean— look. I'm not kidding myself. I know that I wouldn't have been able to do what I did back there," he gestured back vaguely in the direction of the cave, "Without you."

Without Master Valtiere pushing him. Pushing him like no one had ever pushed him. Placing faith in him like no one had ever placed faith in him. Shaw had been drifting aimlessly through life. Allowing the waves of life to carry him wherever with no particular destination in mind. All of that had changed today. At least he felt like it had. He knew that he wanted to become a Jedi now. He had accepted it. He didn't want to drift with the waves. He wanted to captain them.

"I want to become a Jedi," he said again, standing straight. "But I need someone to show me the way. I can't do it on my own." He didn't look away from the sephi's silver gaze as intimidating as it was. If Master Valtiere had taught him anything today, and he had taught him a lot, it could maybe all be summed up in this. To trust yourself, to trust the force. To seize the opportunities that life—that the force— presented you with both hands. "Will you? Will you show me the way?"

The worst the Jedi Master could say was no.... right? When there was a prolonged silence that started to make Shaw uncomfortable (which meant it may have only been a few seconds) he cleared his throat and spelled his request out. "I'm asking you to take me on as your padawan." As if Sevrin hadn't already picked up on that. @Sreeya